Support apparatus for the exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine is disclosed in DE 30 17 742 A1. The exhaust pipe disclosed therein serves for collecting and transferring the exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine into an exhaust gas turbocharger. In order to avoid energy losses due to cooling of the exhaust gases, the exhaust pipe is arranged in a housing. The high temperature of the exhaust pipe leads to great heat expansion of the exhaust pipe. Therefore, in order to avoid heat stresses in the exhaust pipe, the exhaust pipe is joined rigidly with the housing only at a central location of the exhaust pipe by means of screws, so that an unrestricted lengthwise expansion of the exhaust pipe is possible in both longitudinal directions. Other attachment points, which are distributed over the length of the exhaust pipe on both sides of the rigid connection are provided to permit free axial displacement. A restriction of axial expansion of the exhaust pipe would produce forces, which would lead to permanent deformation and thus to damage of the exhaust pipe. However, even expansion in the radial direction should not be suppressed, if heat stresses are to be avoided entirely. Freedom from stress is not obtained with the disclosed support apparatus. In addition, a secure support of the exhaust pipe, which is free of play, will not be attained. In order to make unrestricted longitudinal displacements of the exhaust pipe possible, play is necessary at all points of attachment. However, if there is no secure seating of the bearings of the support means dynamic stresses will not be resisted.
In DE-OS 27 00 565, a section of an exhaust pipe for an internal combustion engine is disclosed which consists of a straight piece and an angled piece joined together. The angled piece is attached by means of flanges to the internal combustion engine and the remote end of the straight piece is connected by tube sections to the exhaust pipe by means of an axial compensator. Since the straight pieces are relatively long, they are supported by suspension rods in order to avoid vibrations. Thus no distortions occur due to the suspension rods; these are arranged in two planes, and equilibrations in the direction of the longitudinal axes of both pieces are possible. The suspension rods are attached by ball-and-socket joints to the exhaust pipe and to the support structure. A support of the exhaust pipe which is free of constraining force, however, is not obtained due to the attachment by means of flanges.
A suspension support is also disclosed for an exhaust pipe of a gas motor according to DE-PS 335,966. This suspension support is connected to the exhaust pipe and is supported in an articulated manner on the support structure. The suspension support permits equilibration movements of the exhaust pipe transversely of its expansion direction. Displacements of the exhaust pipe transversely of its longitudinal axis are caused by tubes that are joined to it at an angle, which convey the exhaust gas from the gas engine into the exhaust pipe, and which are subjected to longitudinal changes due to temperature variations. Inadmissible heat stresses in the exhaust pipe system are avoided by the equilibration motions of the suspension support. Since the exhaust pipe is provided with a lining and thus has a considerable weight, the weight of the exhaust pipe is resisted by means of deflecting rollers and a counterweight. Thus an unrestrained resetting of the exhaust pipe is possible corresponding to the expansion of the transfer tubes, since the transfer tubes are not loaded by the weight of the pipe with the lining.